World

Strong aftershock terrifies Venezuelans days after devastating twin quakes

A strong aftershock rattled northern Venezuela early on Monday, sending people into the streets five days after the twin earthquakes that killed 1,719 people, left tens of thousands missing and triggered a growing humanitarian emergency. The US Geological Survey measured the aftershock at magnitude 4.6 and it shook

Business

Target Seems To Be Artificially Increasing Prices On Pokémon TCG Products

Some retailers are raising prices on Pokémon TCG products rather than letting scalpers profit. After GameStop moved prices into scalper territory, Target is now inflating the cost of certain boxes, tacking on an extra couple of dollars to popular items to take advantage of scarcity and demand. Those increases were

AI

Newsom, Anthropic ink deal to expand government use

Governor Gavin Newsom has struck a deal with Anthropic to expand the use of Claude products across California’s government at a discounted cost. The agreement, first shared with POLITICO, would make Claude the first artificial-intelligence tool available to all state agencies and local governments. It comes amid a monthslong

Culture

What Language Do Minions Speak?

For 16 years, Minions — the small, yellow, denim-clad creatures first seen in Despicable Me (2010) — have appeared across six feature films; the seventh, Minions & Monsters, is out July 1. Their speech remains largely inscrutable, aside from the occasional shout of "BANANA!" Pierre Coffin, who has voiced every

Culture

Bethenny Frankel calls French lipstick 'the best color I've ever put on'

While in the South of France, Bethenny Frankel sampled local beauty products and singled out Le Rouge Français lipstick. In an Instagram video she said, "This lipstick is the best color I've ever put on in my life," as she swiped on the 040 shade. The

Culture

Josh Sawyer would make a Darklands 'spiritual successor' if funded

Obsidian studio design director Josh Sawyer has made some notable games: New Vegas, the Pillars of Eternity series, and Pentiment, which includes the line "A whole lot of inconceivable shit happens on this hell of an Earth." Asked about his next project on the Human Can Opener Podcast,

Culture

Toy Story 5's real screen lesson for parents

Toy Story 5 asks parents to reckon with a smartphone-shaped change to childhood. Directors Andrew Stanton and Kenna Harris recast the fifth installment as a referendum on parenting in the digital age, refusing to blame children for the way they respond to devices. Bonnie, the lead human, behaves as Lilypad

Culture

Hokkaido's Yotei region gets official Ghost of Yotei merchandise

Video games can act as powerful tourism draw cards, and Ghost of Yotei has prompted interest in the eponymous Yotei area of Hokkaido. The region is pushing for more visitors and is reportedly moving to sell merchandise linked to the game. Japanese outlet Nikkei reported that Niseko, a ski-resort town

Business

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Pre-Order Ads Note It’s Not On Game Pass

After two years as a day-one addition to Xbox Game Pass, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will skip the subscription service at launch. A pre-order ad surfaced on Facebook and, as one ResetEra user wrote, "Got served the below ad randomly on Facebook." The ad touts "

Business

Holidaymakers warned over social media scams for fake accommodation

Research suggests holidaymakers should carry out their own checks to avoid booking fake accommodation this summer. A third of travellers reported seeing more potential travel scams on social media, and an Opinium survey in May of 2,000 people in the UK found seven in 10 were wary of promotional

Culture

'X-Men '97' Season 2 release schedule and Disney+ times

X-Men '97 returns to Disney+ with a new season that will roll out over several weeks. The animated revival that followed the original 1992 series is back, and the show’s run will continue beyond this year: Season 3 has been greenlit and two more seasons are reportedly in

Culture

This Iconic HBO Series Is Still the Best Summer Rewatch

For two summers in the early aughts, Sunday nights belonged to The Wire. It premiered in June 2002, arriving a little over a week before American Idol reshaped television viewing, and initially thrived against a ratings landscape that still prized CSI reruns. HBO later moved the show to a fall

Tech

How Thread, Zigbee and Matter are changing smart home setups

Thread, Zigbee and Matter are common terms on smart home device boxes, but they play different roles: Matter is a connectivity protocol — the language devices speak — while Thread and Zigbee are wireless protocols that govern how devices interact on a network. Thread builds a low-power, IP-based mesh that delivers fast

Sports

Arsenal head of sports science exits after internal review

Tom Allen, the long-serving head of sports science and performance, is set to leave the Emirates Stadium after an extensive internal review into the squad's fitness protocols. Allen joined from Aston Villa in 2017 and ends a nine-year spell that bridged the final days of Arsene Wenger'

Business

UBS predicts gold will climb about 28% to $5,200

After a rough stretch, UBS says gold should recover about 28% over the next 12 months, pushing prices toward roughly $5,200 an ounce. Prices have slid about 23% from their January highs to around $4,040 an ounce, after a 150% gain from early 2024 to early 2026. UBS

Culture

Penelope Keith: the sitcom snob who redefined the type

Sitcoms often rely on stock characters — chancers, jobsworths, slobs and snobs — and Penelope Keith became the definitive example of the last. Others have played funny snobs, but she found countless variations on the theme, picking out tones and nuances that gave each role more life than its premise suggested. Her

Culture

Which Sci‑Fi World Would You Survive?

The Sci‑Fi Survival Quiz asks eight questions to determine which of five universes — The Matrix, Mad Max, Blade Runner, Dune, or Star Wars — your instincts are built for. Questions probe how you react when “something is deeply wrong with the world around you,” what resource you guard most fiercely,

Sports

USA's route to the World Cup final: fixtures, opponents and tickets

The United States began the tournament strongly, beating Paraguay 4-1 and Australia 2-0 to finish top of Group D. Their next match is against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on Wednesday, July 1 (5pm PT). If the USMNT progress,

Culture

Amanda Batula exits Summer House after West Wilson ousted from Season 11

Amanda Batula is exiting "Summer House" after her boyfriend West Wilson was ousted from Season 11, TMZ reported on Monday. She is not expected to be part of the new season when filming begins the July 4th weekend. Earlier this month, TMZ said Wilson "was not picked

Tech

Logitech's G316 X has clacky looks but disappointing switches

The G316 X offers gaming-oriented features and strong lighting for a mid-range price tag, but its key feel undermines much of the appeal. The keyboard sounds satisfyingly clacky, yet the white "tactile" switches in the reviewed unit are incredibly stiff and lack the mid-press bump that typically defines

Business

NASA Office of Strategic Capital strengthens commercial space supply chain

NASA’s Office of Strategic Capital and the U.S. Small Business Administration are launching a multi-year initiative to strengthen the commercial space supply chain. Building on the SBA’s Small Business Investment Company framework, the partnership channels a combination of public and private capital to American-owned small businesses on

Tech

Dbrand cancels Companion Cube Steam Machine after Valve refused license

When Valve unveiled a cube-shaped Steam Machine in November, Dbrand rushed to build a Companion Cube-style hard shell for the console. More than 15,000 people signed up to buy the accessory, which was listed at $129.95, but the company pulled its promotional video and removed the product from

Culture

Obsidian's 'Karma Police' ensures varied character builds in Fallout: New Vegas

Josh Sawyer, New Vegas' director, says Obsidian has an informal design team called 'Karma Police' that ensures 'however you built your character, it's not gonna be the same experience.' He adds, 'We're not gonna let you down. We're

Crypto

Kiwoom Securities in talks to buy stake in Bithumb

South Korean brokerage Kiwoom Securities is in talks to buy a stake in Bithumb, the latest traditional financial firm in the country to seek exposure to a local crypto exchange. The companies are discussing a third-party allotment of new shares that would allow Kiwoom to acquire newly issued Bithumb shares.

Tech

Unionized Xbox Workers Push Back Against Layoff Reports

The Communications Workers of America held a press conference with members of several Microsoft Xbox unions after reports that mass layoffs are imminent. Frank Arce, vice president for CWA District 9, opened by condemning past and potential cuts, saying Microsoft workers "will not be treated as disposable." Employees